outstanding vacations - travelweektravelweek.dgtlpub.com/2009/2009-11-26/pdf/travel...nov 26, 2009...
TRANSCRIPT
November 26, 2009Volume 37 Issue 48
Canada’s Best ReadTravel Trade Publication
PM 40015622 PAP Registration NO. 10795
Only from Transat Holidays
Outstanding vacations...
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BAHIA PRINCIPE Royal GoldenBAHIA PRINCIPE SAN JUAN Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic ★★★★
GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE AKUMAL Riviera Maya, Mexico ★★★★★ GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE CAYACOA Samana, Dominican Republic ★★★★1/2
GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE COBA Riviera Maya, Mexico ★★★★★
GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE EL PORTILLO Samana, Dominican Republic ★★★★1/2
GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE JAMAICA Runaway Bay, Jamaica ★★★★★
GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE LA ROMANA La Romana, Dominican Republic ★★★★1/2
GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE PUNTA CANA Punta Cana, Dominican Republic ★★★★★
PALLADIUM Imperial ClubGRAND PALLADIUM BÁVARO RESORT Punta Cana, Dominican Republic ★★★★1/2
GRAND PALLADIUM LADY HAMILTON RESORT & SPA Montego Bay, Jamaica ★★★★1/2
GRAND PALLADIUM WHITE SAND RESORT AND SPA Riviera Maya, Mexico ★★★★★
BARCELÓ Prestige ClassBARCELÓ CAYO SANTA MARIA BEACH RESORT Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba ★★★★
BARCELÓ MARINA PALACE Varadero, Cuba ★★★★1/2
BARCELÓ MAYA COLONIAL BEACH Riviera Maya, Mexico ★★★★★
BARCELÓ MAYA PALACE Riviera Maya, Mexico ★★★★★
BARCELÓ PUERTO PLATA Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic ★★★★
BARCELÓ PUNTA CANA Punta Cana, Dominican Republic ★★★★1/2
OCCIDENTAL Preference ClubOCCIDENTAL GRAND PUNTA CANA Punta Cana, Dominican Republic ★★★★1/2
OCCIDENTAL GRAND XCARET Riviera Maya, Mexico ★★★★1/2
OCCIDENTAL ROYAL HIDEAWAY ENSENACHOS Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba ★★★★★
ROYAL HIDEAWAY PLAYACAR Riviera Maya, Mexico ★★★★★
NH Le MirageNH RIVIERA CANCUN Riviera Maya, Mexico ★★★★★
NH REAL ARENA Punta Cana, Dominican Republic ★★★★1/2
2
★1/2
★★1/2
★★★★
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Are tour operators playing the same NCF game as cruise lines? ACTA, Ensemble say yes
November 26, 2009Volume 37 Issue 48
Canada’s Best ReadTravel Trade Publication
MISSISSAUGA, ON — ACTA is ac-cusing tour operators of playing the same game as some of the cruise lines – making more of the final price non-commissionable fees (NCFs).
David McCaig, president and COO of ACTA, said that “our network of of-fices has noticed a dramatic increase of phone calls and e-mails from members, prompting our association to take ac-tion against wholesalers and tour op-erators who appear to have reduced or even hidden commissions”.
He said ACTA has consulted with in-dustry leaders and has concerns about a system that has seen many of the tour operators and wholesalers reduce agents’ commissionable fees by an “as-tonishing 45%” without industry con-sultation.
“The systematic plan to shift and hide commissionable fees under the guise of taxes and surcharges denies travel agents and owners access to their right-
fully earned income.”Lindsay Pearlman, executive vice
president and general manager, En-semble Travel Group commented “we continually hear this problem being raised by our members as one of the main issues facing the industry today. This practice takes hard earned dollars away from agents and owners who con-tinue to be the back bone of the leisure travel industry.
“We all understand the economic pressures in the business but not pro-viding clarity in pricing undermines the industry’s credibility with the con-sumer and does not recognize the work the agents provide in adding value to the products being sold. This needs to stop now as all it continues to do is erode the value of the products and un-dermine the ability to deliver them.”
A recent comment from an ACTA member brought to light an example of shifting pricing elements away from
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commissionable line items, said Mc-Caig. “It is mind boggling that a prod-uct that was priced just 90 days ago is already subject to a fuel surcharge of $90 when the price of oil has only fluctuated less than US$10/barrel, a far cry from the highs of $106/barrel we saw 14 months ago.”
McCaig said airlines have increased commissions because they have been convinced of the importance of the travel agency distribution model to the airlines.
“Tour operators are being allowed to siphon off millions of dollars by not paying travel agents’ commissions. That is our money,” said one ACTA member.
Air Canada to launch Calgary-Tokyo nonstops offering connecting flights throughout Asia
CALGARY — Air Canada will intro-duce nonstop service between Calgary and Tokyo, offering connecting flights throughout Asia with its Star Alliance partner carriers.
Air Canada will operate three times weekly flights to Tokyo’s Narita Inter-national Airport beginning March 27, 2010 in time for summer peak travel. To promote its new Calgary-Tokyo route, Air Canada is offering introduc-tory fares starting at $598 roundtrip before taxes and other charges.
According to Ben Smith, executive vice president & chief commercial of-ficer, the new flight will offer connec-tions to key destinations throughout Asia including Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Taipei and several points across Japan among others. “Our in-itial schedule of three weekly flights
during the 2010 summer season is the first step towards building year-round, daily flights.”
Air Canada’s Calgary-Tokyo flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing Calgary at 12:20 p.m. and arriving in Narita the following day at 2 p.m. Flights will de-part Narita on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 4 p.m., arriving Cal-gary same day at 10:45 a.m.
Air Canada will operate the new nonstop service with fully refurbished 211-seat Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft offering a choice of Economy Class and Executive First service featuring 24 lie-flat bed suites.
Gov’ts sign principles for liberalization of air transport, Canada wants to study it
MONTEBELLO, QC — Canada says it wants to study a statement of principles to liberalize international aviation that was signed last week at an IATA meeting here by seven states, including the U.S., and the European Commission.
The document is called a Multilat-eral Statement of Policy Principles re-garding the Implementation of Bilat-eral Air Service Agreements and the signing took place at the conclusion of the IATA-hosted second Agenda for Freedom Summit in Montebello, Canada.
The states that signed the document are Chile, Malaysia, Panama, Singa-pore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S.; and was en-dorsed by the European Commission. In total they represent some 60% of global aviation.
Canada has often spoken of open
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Ont. Reg. # 2476582Ont. Reg. # 2476582
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skies but has also restricted airlines such as Emirates from expanding ser-vice.
“This is an historic achievement that will help set the foundation for a financially sustainable global aviation industry. I congratulate the seven governments and the European Com-mission for their visionary leadership. One agreement will not change the world. But this is a strong signal that this industry’s future must be realized in a much more liberal environment. Today’s signing is the beginning of a process of change. Our shared task now is to bring even more countries on board,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO.
“While safeguarding safety, security and environmental responsibility, gov-ernments and industry must also find a platform for financial sustainability in civil aviation,” said Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, president of the Council of ICAO who witnessed the signing.
The 65-year-old bilateral system of air service agreements places restric-tions on how airlines can do business in ways that no other industry faces. National ownership requirements do not allow airlines to merge across borders, precluding the development
of global players that has been seen in other previously regulated indus-tries such as telecommunications. Airlines are also restricted in market access, until government negotiators conclude agreements to allow cross-border services.
“Sixty-five years ago, when airlines were divisions of the state apparatus, the bilateral system and its restrictions made sense. The world has changed. Airlines are real businesses. Their bottom lines are subject to the harsh discipline of the market that has seen the industry lose a net of US$53 bil-lion since 2001. Airlines made global business possible, but they remain a highly fragmented industry unable to cover their cost of capital. We don’t want government handouts. What is important is that we have a level play-ing field and the freedom to do busi-ness that every other industry takes for granted. Today’s signing is a major step towards that goal,” said Bisignani.
The policy principles address three main areas:
Freedom to access capital mar-kets: States agreed on principles that would open the possibility for airlines to access global capital markets. This would be achieved with an agree-
ment not to exercise bilateral rights that could allow them to block inter-national services from airlines with non-national ownership structures. States also agreed to consider the pos-sibility of a multilateral agreement to waive ownership restrictions.
Freedom to do business: States agreed on principles that seek to re-duce restrictions on market access and to expedite the further opening of markets in future bilateral negotia-tions.
Freedom to price services: States agreed on principles that would allow greater freedom to price airline servi-ces in line with market realities.
While these policy principles are non-binding, they are an important statement of common government in-tention among the most active coun-tries driving global aviation policy. The document notes specifically that the signatories “recognize the import-ance of promoting compatible regula-tory approaches and reducing the po-tential for conflicts” and the intention to use the policy principles to guide “implementation of existing air ser-vice agreements and our approach to the negotiation of new or amended air services agreements in the future”.
Nov26.indd 4 11/23/09 12:31:31 PM
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Travelport reaches long-term global full content deal with British Airways
LONDON — Travelport, one of the world’s leading providers of global dis-tribution systems (GDS) and operator of both the Galileo and Worldspan platforms, is the first GDS provider to reach a new long-term, global full
content agreement with British Air-ways.
The new agreement, which takes
immediate effect, will see all of Brit-
ish Airways’ published fares and in-
ventory made available to Galileo and
Worldspan-connected travel agents
worldwide until April 2013.John Mornement, head of selling
and distribution for British Airways, said: “We have worked hard with Travelport to come to an agreement that will both reduce our distribution
costs and ensure that agents continue to have access to our full published content, including our lowest fares, through Galileo and Worldspan.”
Matthew Hall, vice president, Sup-plier Business Development for Trav-elport’s GDS business in Europe, Mid-dle East and Africa, commented: “we have a strong track record of reaching full content agreements with flag car-riers across the globe and this deal with BA is further testament to our ability to reach sustainable deals that clearly demonstrate the long term vi-ability and importance of the agency channel. I am delighted that we have struck a deal that is mutually benefi-cial for both parties and offers great value to travel agents.”
Travelport and British Airways will also work together in the com-ing months on providing Galileo and Worldspan-connected travel agents with the ability to book extras such as seating through the GDS
Signature Vacations offers more flying options for winter 2009/2010
TORONTO — Signature Vacations’ dedicated aircraft are back in Canada for the winter and the operator is now offering flights onboard its own air-craft with Skyservice, as well as with Air Transat and Canjet.
Signature is offering a new Prior-ity Plus package for $50 per person, roundtrip, which includes compli-mentary advance seat selection, a $30 value; priority check-in at the airport; priority airplane boarding and excess luggage allowance of up to 5kg per segment.
New flights this winter include St. John’s to Cancun, Holguin, Pun-ta Cana and Varadero; Moncton to Cancun, Punta Cana and Varadero; Fredericton to Puerto Plata; Halifax to Santa Clara and Jamaica; Ottawa to Holguin, Cayo Coco, Varadero, Santa Clara and Jamaica; Toronto to Samana and La Romana; Montreal to St. Mar-tin; Winnipeg to Jamaica; Saskatoon to Jamaica and Varadero; Regina to Ja-maica and Varadero; Edmonton to Ja-
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maica; Calgary to Jamaica; Vancouver to Jamaica; Kelowna to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta and Victoria to Can-cun and Puerto Vallarta.
CITC prepares a checklist of ‘Travel Scams’ travel agencies should watch out for
TORONTO — In response to num-
erous inquiries from industry mem-bers regarding e-mails, phone calls and letters they have received containing what can only be described as ‘inter-esting’ business propositions, CITC has prepared a checklist of questions that travel industry staff should ask.
This is in response to e-mails sug-gesting that a client overseas requires air tickets from Lagos to Dubai the day after tomorrow, or a telephone call asking the agency to verify the num-ber of computers in the office or the
serial number of their photocopier, or the person who pops into the agency, unannounced to ask questions about aspects of your business.
Steve Gillick CTM, president & COO of CITC, warns that in a “chal-lenged economy scam artists are out there in droves, looking for that ideal ‘victim’ who will respond to the e-mail they sent out, en masse, to 10,000 or more businesses. If you are the one that responds, then just by having responded you have fallen for their scam”.
Gillick explained that there are some basic questions and precautions that travel agencies can take to at least raise some level of alarm as to whether the solicitation in question is valid or not. “The problem is that many individuals don’t start asking the basic questions until it is too late”.
Gillick noted that the checklist that CITC has prepared is not an exhaust-ive list and it will be expanded from time to time based on the feedback of industry associates. Travel profession-als are welcome to share their scams with CITC ([email protected]).
The list is free to the industry and is available at www.citc.ca/agency checklist.
Interest in Israel increases with Dead Sea Scrolls contest & exhibition
TORONTO — They are, as the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) puts it, the words that changed the world. Widely considered among the greatest archaeological finds of the past cen-tury, the Dead Sea Scrolls include the earliest written sources for the Hebrew Bible, dating back to approximately 250 BCE.
On display at the museum until Jan. 3, the Scrolls have been a huge hit in Toronto; since its debut in June, 208,000 people have seen the exhibit and another 100,000 are estimated to visit by January.
The Israel Government Tourist Of-fice in Canada (IGTO) is hoping that interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls will encourage more people to visit Is-
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rael, and in particular the historic site of Qumran where the Scrolls were found. To kickstart the campaign, the IGTO, in partnership with Tour East Holidays and EL AL Israel Airlines, launched the Dead Sea Scrolls Contest as a value-added benefit exclusive to ROM members.
The grand prize includes a trip for two to Israel with EL AL providing business class roundtrip air and Tour East Holidays supplying an extensive ground package that includes touring and accommodations. Contest closes on Jan. 3.
After it was launched in late Octo-ber, the membership department at the ROM circulated an e-blast announce-ment to its over 20,000 members and donors. Within the first two hours fol-lowing the e-blast, nearly 2,000 entries were received.
“When we first heard that the Dead Sea Scrolls were coming to Toronto, we immediately realized the vast po-tential that such a world class, once in a lifetime exhibit could manifest,” said Oded Grofman, Consul for Tour-
ism and director for Canada, IGTO. “Not only did we spearhead having a contest with the ROM but we initiated other PR activities, which included meetings and educational seminars, even purchasing blocks of tickets for guided tours of the Scrolls exhibition with community and religious leaders, with members of the travel trade and airlines to create interest and travel demand for Israel. Our efforts at the IGTO are being realized.”
And that travel demand is certainly on the rise, added Grofman. “The past few months have been the best ever for Israel in terms of Canadian visi-tors. This year started with a 15% de-crease but in August and September, a total of 12,000 Canadians came to visit. Our goal is by the end of 2012, we’ll have 100,000 visitors per year from Canada.”
In addition to the Scrolls contest, the New 7 Wonders of Nature compe-tition will surely garner more interest in travel to Israel. It’s been announced that the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth and one of Israel’s most popular
tourist sites, is one of 28 finalists in the competition, which was launched in 2007 after the successful campaign to elect the Official New 7 Wonders of the World. The declaration of the New 7 Wonders of Nature will be an-nounced in 2011 after tallying online votes.
To vote for the Dead Sea, visit www.goisrael.com or the competition web-site at www.new7wonders.com. For more information on the Dead Sea Scrolls Contest, visit www.deadsea contest.ca.
Carnival enhances online travel agent booking system to include new group management tool
MIAMI — Carnival Cruise Lines has added a number of enhancements to its online booking tool allowing travel agents to create new group bookings and modify existing reservations elec-tronically on a 24 hours a day, seven
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By Chris Kinasz
Sunspots Holidays serves upOlympic fever with special rates
Canada
spotlight
When the Olympics end,do not forget Sunspots as they
can accommodate specialgroup requests for weddings,anniversaries, special events
and celebrations.
Canadian travellers can now attendthe 2010 Vancouver Olympics for less, thanks to Sunspots Holidays’special net rates and commissionableprogram.
Sunspots has special rates availablefor air only on inter-Canada flightswith WestJet, hotel only or packages to Vancouver during the OlympicGames.
A flight from Toronto to Vancouveris priced at $540 and $355 fromCalgary to Vancouver.
In terms of accommodations duringthe Olympics, Sunspots can offer lodgings like Super 8 Langley/GloverRoad, Happy Day Inn, 2010 furnishedrentals and many other options.
When the Olympics end, do not for-get Sunspots as they can accommodatespecial group requests for weddings,anniversaries, special events and cele-brations. There are benefits that areavailable only for groups like specialrates and site inspections.
Whether travellers need a package,air, hotel, airport transfer or tour components separately, SunspotsHolidays will offer competitive ratesand a wide choice of options for trav-eller convenience.
If visiting Niagara Falls, your clientscan stay at the four star Sheraton onThe Falls for $95 per night includingtaxes. Or if in Kamloops, try the four-star Delta Sun Peaks for $145 per nightincluding taxes. Sunspots offers prop-erties in over 100 Canadian cities fromSt. John to Calgary.
For more information, visit www.sunspotsholidays.com.
Rocky Mountaineer wins a World Travel Award for the fourth time
Rocky Mountaineer, Canada’s inter-nationally renowned rail experience,has been honoured with a WorldTravel Award in the category of‘World’s Leading Travel Experience byTrain’ for the fourth year.
Every year, hundreds of thousandsof travel professionals from across theglobe cast their votes to determine thewinners. The World Travel Awardswere established in 1993 to acknowl-edge and recognize excellence in theworld’s travel and tourism industry.
“Our organization is delighted to bethe recipient of this distinguishedaward for the fourth time,” says RandyPowell, president and chief executiveofficer of Rocky Mountaineer. “For 20years, we have provided the most spectacular travel experiences in theworld and it is truly an honour to berecognized amongst so many interna-tionally renowned iconic trains.”
Rocky Mountaineer offers uniqueCanadian vacation packages and fourrail routes through B.C. and Alberta.It is best known for the RockyMountaineer train, which is a two-day,all daylight rail journey throughCanada’s West. The company alsooffers a three-hour experience
canada 11/20/09 12:15 PM Page 11
between Vancouver and Whistler.For further information, visit
www.rockymountaineer.com.
Canadian Rockies golf-and-resort destination capsbanner debut with panache
The Canadian Rockies golf-and-resort-lifestyle consortium (CRG),a collection of six-world class pro-perties boasting 135 holes of scenicmountain golf, is celebrating the closeof its debut season with ongoingachievements and acclaim.
In addition to member courses and resorts garnering many awardsfrom celebrated publications, theCRG established a global scenic net-working presence and successfullylaunched an opt-in e-newsletterreceived by thousands.
CRG destination partners, whichinclude The Fairmont Banff Springs,The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge,Kananaskis County Golf Course,Silvertip Golf Resort, Stewart CreekGolf & Country Club and CanmoreGolf & Curling Club, won honoursfrom Golf Digest, SCORE Golf andWine Sectactor’s ‘best of ’ lists. Forexample, The Fairmont Banff Springsearned a top-five ranking in GolfDigest’s ‘Top 75 Resorts in NorthAmerica’ while the Silvertip GolfResort won the GCSAA/Golf DigestEnvironmental Leader Award, one ofonly four given worldwide.
“The awards earned this year arevery gratifying and humbling,” saidGordon Schultz, spokesman for theconsortium. He added, “our proper-ties work hard to offer unique, high-end golf-and-resort-lifestyle experi-ences.”
View www.canadianrockiesgolf.cafor more information.
Monograms has itinerariesfor domestic travel too
Monograms, a member of theGlobus family of brands, offers a widearray of pre-packaged independent
vacations in exotic locations such asSouth America and Asia, but manytravel agents are not aware thatMonograms offers itineraries fordomestic travel in Canada as well.
Available now are two fly-drivevacations in Western Canada featur-ing itineraries highlighting B.C. andAlberta. In Atlantic Canada, there is anine-day Maritimes Discovery fly-drive, which takes in New Brunswickand Nova Scotia.
“You can save your clients, andyourself, a huge amount of time whenyou book one of these fly-drives,” saidStéphanie Bishop, managing directorfor the Globus family of brands inCanada. “Not only are these itiner-aries pre-tested to allow your cus-tomers generous sightseeing time, butwe also include admission to at leastone attraction and the security of a24-hour Service On Call helpline.”
For more information about dom-estic itineraries from Monograms,visit www.monogramstravel.ca.
The Westin Ottawa unveils comprehensive$35 million renovation
The Westin Ottawa has announcedthe culmination of an all encompass-ing renovation and renewal that willgreatly enhance the experience ofvisitors to the hotel.
The 487-room hotel features a newballroom and meeting space, updatedfront desk, a new porte-cochere andrenovated guestrooms. A stylish newlobby features dramatic lighting afireplace and new guest service podsfor check-in.
Said general manager John Jarvis,“With our transformation, guestsstaying with us know that they canexpect a renewing stay for the mind,body and spirit. Our new lookreflects our commitment to help ourguests retreat from the rigors of theroad and help them to perform attheir best.”
Visit www.starwoodhotels for moreinformation.
Canada
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By Chris Kinasz
Ukraine International Airlines continues to extend web check-incapabilities on its website
Business Travel
spotlight
UIA became the first airline in Ukraine to offer
its passengers online check-in service.
As of Nov. 9, Ukraine InternationalAirlines has added new destinationson its website to the list of flights thatallow online check-in for passengerswith electronic tickets. The onlinecheck-in service allows passengers toconsiderably cut their queuing time atthe airport.
Passengers departing from KievInternational Airport ‘Borispol’ maynow check-in via the airline’s websitefor UIA scheduled flights betweenKiev-Amsterdam, Kiev-Paris andKiev-Helsinki. The list of destinations available for self-check-in on the UIAwebsite also includes the Lisbon-Kievflight.
A passenger who wants to choose a seat on the airplane and check-in for the flight must go to the UIA web-site and identify himself/herself bysurname, booking code, electronicticket number or by Panorama Clubfrequent flyer card number. Havingchosen the seat, the passenger thenreceives a printable boarding pass
containing a special bar-code that ise-mailed to their account. This board-ing pass is the equivalent of the tradi-tional boarding pass issued at thecheck-in desk at the airport.
Check-in online opens 23 hoursbefore the scheduled flight departureand closes two hours prior to depar-ture.
Passengers travelling with check-inbaggage can also check-in online.Upon arrival at the airport, passengersmust drop-off their baggage at thebusiness class check-in desk, thus saving time.
UIA became the first airline inUkraine to offer its passengers thisnew service. As of today, the service is available for UIA flights departingfrom Kiev to Amsterdam, Berlin,Brussels, Dubai, Frankfurt, Helsinki,Lisbon, Milan, Nice, Paris, Rome,Tbilisi, Vienna and Zurich, plusflights to Kiev from Brussels,Frankfurt, Lisbon and Zurich. It isalso available for internal flights
1-800-876-0114
UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL AIRLINESAGENT COMMISSION 5%
WWW.FLYUIA.COMAGENT WEBSITE: WWW.UIANA.COM
PACKAGES & TOURS: WWW.PANORAMA-TOURS.EU
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departing from Kiev to Lvov andSimferopol.
In the near future, Ukraine Inter-national Airlines plans to completethe introduction of the web check-inservice for all UIA flights departingfrom Kiev International AirportBorispol. This would include desti-nations demanding passport datainsertion, where the data would beentered by the passenger into the system before arriving at the airport.
Visit the Ukraine InternationalAirlines website www.flyUIA.com formore information.
The New Yorker Hoteloffers meeting spaces in prime location
In an effort to revitalize its facilitiesfor one of its core market segments,The New Yorker Hotel recently refurbished its meeting space as partof the property’s $70 million U.S.renovation.
Through the remodelling project,all meeting space, including the mez-zanine, foyer, Crystal Ballroom andGrand Ballroom, received new light-ing, sprinklers and smoke detectors.There is 25,000 square feet of meetingspace available at this hotel.
Through its service-oriented meet-ings and events department, The NewYorker Hotel created customized programs for large events like majorconferences or trade expositions in itstwo grand ballrooms. For small pri-vate functions, more intimate settingsare available.
Other highlights of the renovationinclude increased room inventory, anoverhaul of the furniture, carpets, acomplete redesign of the lobby, guestservices enhancements, free Wi-Fiand an upgrade of the hotel’s tworestaurants.
The New Yorker hotel is located inthe heart of the city, three blocks fromthe Empire State Building and eightblocks from Times Square, so busi-ness travellers can easily venturethroughout the city if necessary.
“Whether you’re planning a con-vention, family reunion or corporatemeeting, our staff at The New YorkerHotel skillfully handles all the detailsto make sure the meeting or eventruns smoothly and that all the group’sneeds are met,” said Sylvia Lima,general manager of The New YorkerHotel. “Our knowledgeable staffoffers the personalized service anddedication that makes the differencebetween running a good meeting and a great meeting.”
Visit NewYorkerHotel.com foradditional information regardingtheir meeting space for businessgroups.
EPIC’s high-tech, high-touchofferings keep businesstravellers plugged in
EPIC, the newly-opened waterfrontboutique hotel in downtown Miamiis completely decked-out with thetech tools and services that travellingexecutives need most.
High-tech offerings for businesstravellers include desk-top computersin all of the 411 guestrooms andsuites. These computers are loadedwith Microsoft Office software, offerhigh-speed Internet access and run aninteractive portal that provides guestswith hotel information, local Miamiguides and on-demand entertain-ment. Print jobs can conveniently bepicked up at the front desk.
Rooms and suites also feature flat-panel digital televisions with VOD.Free TV channels and a variety ofpremium Video-On-Demand chan-nels in high definition format are alsoavailable.
Other features include iPod dock-ing stations, digital ‘do not disturb’hang-tags and WiFi connection avail-able throughout the hotel.
Additional in-room services andhotel amenities include the hotel’s 24-hour business centre, complimen-tary morning newspaper, twice-dailyhousekeeping service and coffee andtea in the Living Room lobby.
Located on the edge of the MiamiRiver and Biscayne Bay, just a shortdistance from Miami’s financial cen-tre, EPIC Hotel is the perfect choicefor an upcoming business trip toMiami.
For more information on the EPICHotel, visit www.epichotel.com.
Embassy Suites Houston-Energy Corridoropens its doors
Embassy Suites Hotels has openedthe Embassy Suites Houston – EnergyCorridor, featuring the brand’s firstDesign Option III prototype built inTexas. This hotel is the brand’s secondproperty in the Houston area.
The Design Option III prototypeuses less land and increases theamount of natural light into the guestsuites and atrium areas.
The Embassy Suites Houston –Energy Corridor is 14 storeys, has 216suites and 7,000 square feet of meet-ing space. It is the first all-suite, fullservice hotel built in the EnergyCorridor area in more than 10 years.
“Business travellers visiting thisarea will really benefit from theamenities Embassy Suites has tooffer,” said Jim Holthouser, globalhead of full service brands, HiltonWorldwide. The property is an excel-lent choice for corporate and leisuretravellers, as it is situated just minutesaway from the area’s major businessesand attractions.
When it’s time to unwind, that theproperty features an indoor pool withoutdoor tanning terrace, fitness cen-tre, and a full-service restaurant andlounge.
The Embassy Suites brand has been recognized eight times in thelast ten years by J.D. Powers andAssociates by achieving the ‘HighestGuest Satisfaction” in its category.
Visit www.embassysuites.com foradditional information about theEmbassy Suites Houston – EnergyCorridor and other Embassy Suitesproperties.
Business Travel
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days a week basis.Available via the line’s travel agent
Internet portal, BookCCL.com, the new system allows agents to perform a variety of functions to book and man-age group bookings that previously had to be handled via phone with the line’s reservations department.
Through the new system, travel agents can: create new group book-ings; modify group allotments; al-locate group level cash payments; re-quest option extensions; obtain group confirmations; access group booking reports; review group booking history and use Fun Points to select onboard amenities, take advantage of Carni-val’s Flexi-Pricing or both.
“Groups are an important part of our business and this new user-friend-ly group management tool continues our efforts at streamlining the reserva-tions process for travel agents and en-hancing the level of service they pro-vide to their clients,” said Joni Rein,
Carnival’s vice president of worldwide sales.
Carnival hosted a live webinar last week that is available on demand via BookCCL.com. “How To” video tu-torials on key features of the new tool are available within the site, as well.
Assistance with all of Carnival’s on-line tools is available by contacting the line’s eSolutions Group at 1-800-845-2599 Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. These new expanded hours are effective Nov. 30.
Once touted as the next Cancun, eco-friendly Huatulco now shows off its laid-back charmsBy Sam Ion
HUATULCO — Five destination and incentive agents flew off to Huat-
ulco late last month with Signature Vacations – and it’s fair to say they loved it.
Only Travelweek and Terry Assang, owner of Transcon Travel, had been to this destination way south of Acapul-co on Mexico’s Pacific Coast before, maybe because the resort area didn’t even exist 25 years ago.
At the time, FONATUR, the gov-ernment arm of Mexican tourism, de-cided this undeveloped stretch of pure white sand and isolated coves would be the next Cancun.
That hasn’t happened. Instead, 69% of the area has been designated a na-tional wildlife preserve and all devel-opment has been planned to preserve this beautiful area.
In fact Huatulco is Mexico’s only Green Globe Certified destination. It achieved this in June 2005, and they boast that it was the first sustainable tourist community in the American Continent and the third in the world.
Huatulco greeted the Signature group with open arms when it arrived at Las Brisas. A representative from all levels of government brought greet-ings and the entire staff was in the lobby with big smiles, while a group of local children provided entertain-ment. Pia Oberholzer Herger, direc-tor of the Hotel Association, not only greeted the group but also joined us every day for meals and excursions.
Overwhelmed by the hospitality? We shouldn’t have been – that’s the kind of place Huatulco is.
Signature has brought Canadians to this destination for 14 years, and it carries an interesting group of resorts.
Most all of them are on Tangolunda Bay, and so is the golf course.
Terry Assang, owner of Transcon Travel, says the Barceló would be good for some of his incentive groups because it is flat and easily accessible. “This is a Barceló that stands out.
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Nov26.indd 16 11/23/09 12:32:42 PM
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Dreams is one that I’ll sell to clients with good expectations and who are willing to try something different. It is well-run, with high quality and stan-dards and at a very good price this year,” said Assang.
Meanwhile, “the two and a half star, 113-room Castillo Huatulco has a dif-ferent flavour and is priced for people on a budget.”
Travelweek would add that the Cas-tillo provides a different kind of all-inclusive. The resort is in the tidy little town of Santa Cruz, just a five minute shuttle ride from the beach club. The beach club is amazing, with a pool, kids’ playground and beach restaurant. You could easily spend the day there, with beach service under palapas with washrooms, music and hammocks.
Karen Gill, a destination wedding specialist and travel consultant with TPI, has 61 people attending a wed-ding in December at Dreams. She met with the wedding co-ordinators and came back very satisfied that the arrangements were well in hand and that Dreams Huatulco was a fabulous choice.
The four and a half star, 484-room Las Brisas Huatulco had wonderful food, the group decided. In fact they voted that the resort’s Tres Leches des-ert was the best they tried, and they tried this wonderful cake everywhere.
They also felt the resort’s four beach-es offered the best ocean swimming, and that for young people wanting an active vacation this large hilly prop-erty would be perfect.
Lasia Matwwijszyn, a wedding spe-cialist with Weddings by Oceans, has a couple choosing between the five-star,
310-room Dreams Huatulco and the four-star, 351-room Barceló Huatulco Beach Resort.
“It is a beautiful destination for peo-ple looking for a sustainable tourist spot. I thought Dreams was stunning and will be recommending it,” said Lexa Djoleto, wedding account man-ager for Luxe Destination Events.
What everybody liked best was the almost guaranteed hot dry weather during winter months when that isn’t so in other destinations.
Princess Academy introduces new Alaska Expert certification for travel agents
SANTA CLARITA, CA — Travel agents can boost their Alaska know-ledge, and their sales, with the new Princess Cruises Alaska Expert cer-tification from Princess Academy, said the line.
An added feature for the extensive online training program, this four-course unit offers agents in-depth in-formation on Princess cruisetours and the best way to plan a client’s Alaska vacation.
By completing the Princess Alaska Expert certification agents are also eligible for a number of special Alaska features, including bonus commission coupons and the chance to win an Al-aska cruisetour.
“This is our first specialty expert pro-gram within Princess Academy and we designed it as a comprehensive way for agents to really hone their knowledge
of this spectacular cruisetour destina-tion with more in-depth information than our regular Alaska course,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service.
“We’re often surprised more agents don’t sell these lucrative programs, and those who complete this program will have detailed background that can give them a competitive advan-tage when selling these great vacation options.”
Agents become a Princess Alaska Expert after completing these four courses:
look at this itinerary, which is a staple of every Princess cruisetour. The course offers information about the route, which features the state’s most popular ports, plus the Glacier Bay National Park. Agents will learn about shore excursions, Princess’ variety of onboard programs just for Alaska, and other features that make this itinerary the best cruise choice for seeing the state’s highlights.
by-day examination of one of the line’s most popular cruisetour itineraries (number BB4) to give agents an in-depth understanding of this type of vacation. Agents will learn about the Denali National Park region, Princess’ wilderness lodge experience, dining choices, land excursions and other ways passengers can spend their time at the lodges. The course gives agents an easy-to-follow base for understand-ing all cruisetour options, giving them the information they need to answer client questions with confidence and close the sale.
This course details two Princess crui-setours to off-the-beaten-path areas of Alaska not typically visited by other cruise lines. Agents will learn about itineraries to the Kenai and Cop-per River areas, with specifics about Princess’ wilderness lodges in these regions and the unique features found in each location. The course will give agents valuable insight into these spe-cial destinations, which will be a dis-tinct advantage to selling these unique
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Phone: (416) 231-1220www.globaltravelinc.ca
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CTCPI shines spotlight on Italy’s Piemonte region during second Canadian Symposium for agentsBy Cindy Sosroutomo
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Monforte d’Alba is located 60 kilometres southeast of Turin and borders the famous wine region of Barolo.
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For your history-buff clients, suggest a visit to Biella, home to several medi-eval and Renaissance mansions as well as a stunning cathedral. The city is divided into Biella Piano (lower) and Biella Piazzo (upper), the latter being the site of Biella’s only synagogue. No longer in use, the sanctuary, which dates back to the early 17th century and still highly regarded by the city’s 48 remaining Jewish residents, has been rededicated after an extensive restoration.
From Biella, travellers can follow the scent of chocolate all the way to Alba, home of the Ferrero chocolate factory. Meaning ‘sunrise’ in Italian, Alba is the capital of the Langhe re-gion, world renowned for its white truffles and wine production. A num-ber of local wineries offer wine tours and tastings, including Renato Ratti, one of the most important cellars in the Barolo area with 43 hectares. If your clients are looking for some time in the country, suggest the Hotel Villa Beccaris in nearby Monforte d’Alba, a boutique property featuring 23 rooms, each slightly different than the other.
No visit to Piemonte would be com-plete without a stop at the heart and soul of the region. Turin, the most French of all Italian cities and the capital of Piemonte, has come a long way from its bland industrial roots. Ever since hosting the 2006 Winter Olympics, the city has evolved into a flourishing cosmopolitan centre with bustling nightlife, top-notch museums and galleries and world-class dining.
“No doubt about it, the Olympics changed the city,” said Paola Musolino from the Turin Tourist Board. “Prior to the Games, tourism wasn’t very de-veloped here. But the event put Turin on the world map. All of a sudden, the people’s mentality changed; we became less guarded, more open-minded and more proud of our city.”
Musolino also admits that though Turin continues to fight the stereotype of being nothing more than an indus-trial city, tourist numbers are on the up and up. In 2006, the total number of foreign and Italian visitors shared an even 50/50 split for the first time ever.
“We want people to know that Tu-rin is a year-round destination,” she added. “Even though we’re known for hosting the Winter Games, we offer many things to tourists throughout the year. We are the perfect city break destination.”
CTCPI members offer a number of packages to the region of Piemonte, as well as other comprehensive itinerar-ies throughout the country:• Arts & Leisure Tours is launching
two new itineraries to the region next year. The Treasures of Piedmont is a 13-day tour that includes Turin, Alba, Barolo, La Morra, Roero, Biella and Lake Maggiore, while the eight-day Best of Piedmont Cycling Tour high-lights Turin, Pinerolo, Saluzzo, Bra, Alba, Asti and Casale Monferrato. Visit www.artsandleisuretours.com.• Kompas Express has launched a
brand new 16-page program dedicate to Piemonte, now available online at www.piemontenow.com. The pro-gram includes air & land city packag-es, land-only packages and two-night getaways. Visit www.kompasexpress.com or call 1-800-EUROPE-1.• Insight Vacations’ Europe 2010
program includes the 12-day Italian Elegance tour that travels from Rome to the Borromean Islands in Piemon-te and ending in Venice. Visit www. insightvacations.com.• Sunquest’s Mediterranean cruise
from Toronto to Rome, Venice and Naples with MSC Cruises includes
seven nights with air and transfers. Starting Nov. 12, the first 500 guests to book Mediterranean cruises will receive a free room category upgrade. Visit www.sunquestvacations.ca.• ALBA Tours is offering six coach
tours to Italy from May-October 2010 ranging from six to 17 days. www. albatours.com.• Contiki Holidays, which released
its Europe 2010 brochure on Nov. 5, offers three tours to Italy next year. Clients who book by Dec. 3 will re-ceive up to $400 savings per person. www.contiki.com.• Globus family of brands is offer-
ing 10 tours to Italy in 2010, including one family travel tour and one Plati-num Collection tour. New for Cos-mos next year is the 15-day Rome & Sorrento tour, the nine-day Magic of Italian Lakes and the 13-day Splen-dour of Italy with a Sorrento exten-sion. Monograms is offering 12 pre-packaged independent vacations in Italy that range from four to 13 days, visiting Rome, Florence, Venice and Sorrento. www.agentlingo.ca.
Canadian leisure market to Scottsdale remains strong, lured by bargains as meetings dropBy Jean Sorensen
VANCOUVER — While tour-
The picturesque town of Orta San Giulio sits on the edge of Lake Orta, located west of Lake Maggiore..
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ism figures for Scottsdale have fallen during 2009, the decrease is coming mainly from the U.S. and Canadian business sector rather the Canadian leisure market.
Canadians are taking advantage of bargain pricing, said Chris Ryall, the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bur-eau’s Canadian representative.
Scottsdale CVB was in Vancouver in early November to promote new at-tractions and $3 billion in downtown development along an ancient native canal system.
The business and convention trav-eller has dropped out of the mix, es-pecially in the U.S. market, opting for stay-at-home meetings. That’s resulted in 2009 in excess capacity and “we have seen five star hotels selling for $99 a night,” Ryall said.
Canadian tourism numbers to Ari-zona are expected to decline in 2009 when compared to 2008 “which was a bumper year,” Ryall said. In 2007, 455,600 Canadians visited Arizona, while in 2008 the figure rose to 517,000, a record number with 60% of the market traffic originating from Western Canada. It is expected that 2009 figures will come in at around the 500,000 mark, Ryall estimates, with strong numbers still expected out of Western Canada where new flights are being put on this winter.
Beginning Jan. 17, WestJet will begin nonstop flights three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays) out of Vancouver. There are also WestJet flights out of Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg this year adding to a total of 89 weekly flights across Canada that now fly to Arizona.
There has also been shifting market demographics. The market has been steadily increasing to include younger visitors from Canada such as singles, couples or families in addition to the senior and snowbird market that has traditionally boosted the market.
Product news from Scottsdale in-cludes:
and Spa at Gainey Ranch has com-pleted a $50 million renovation. It in-cludes redesigned guestrooms, suites and casitas, plus the spa and the addi-
tion of two new restaurants. The resort is offering a ‘three for free’ special of-fer until Dec. 31. Visit www.3forfree.com for more information.
-back Mountain, has undergone a multi-million-dollar upgrade of its restaurant and kitchen. It has also re-launched its series of exclusive Satori Retreats for spa-goers wanting bal-ance in their lives and to reach per-sonal goals.
marks the first of this brand to open in Arizona. It is know for its pets friendly policy (P.A.W. – Pets Are Welcome). The hotel offers perks for pooches such as personal pet concierge, toy and treat upon check-in, chef-prepared in-room dining, nightly turndown ser-vice and regular yappy hours where dogs and owners mingle. There’s also Doga, where dogs and owners get to compare their best downward dog position under the watchful eye of a yoga instructor. The W Scottsdale also offers a “What’s Your Wish” where guests can choose from a number of add-ons such as room upgrade, spa treatment and private poolside ca-bana.
-ping program for hotel guests where guests show their hotel key and promo card to participating merchants and
receive promotional specials.
TA Exclusives, a program that offers incentives for agents and their clients. The program gives clients upgrades, free breakfast, spa treatments and dis-counts while travel agents who book a stay of four or more consecutive nights can earn a free night for themselves.
Troon North is offering a free third night for a two-day stay.
notes 4
Intrepid’s 2010 brochuresSmall group adventure specialist
Intrepid Travel has launched its 2010 global brochures with inclusive prices, a focus on the growing short breaks market and an emphasis on sustain-able tourism. In 2010 the local pay-ment on all of its itineraries will be dropped in favour of inclusive pric-ing that will be more convenient for travel agents and consumers alike. In addition, Intrepid’s prices have held steady against 2009 prices. Its prices start from Can$40 a day for the Red Sea Beach Break. (Intrepid trip code EAE). In 2010 Intrepid Travel expects to carry over 75,000 clients on carbon offset trips in over 100 destinations
WIN 2 tickets to Korea+ a 4 night deluxe stay at Lotte HotelA sparkling gem in the crown of Asia. Korea lures travellers with a taste
for royalty, Buddhist culture, ancient temples, vibrant cities and all things
exotic. ENDS: December 28
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with the average duration of 15 days. Intrepid Travel will also offer 175 Short Breaks in 2010 designed to blend two emerging travel trends - a demand for experiential travel and the trend towards shorter and more frequent holidays. Other highlights of Intrepid Travel’s 2010 product range include: guaranteed departures on all of its trips; small groups averaging 10 pas-sengers and an emphasis on real life experiences where travellers experi-ence the people and culture of the destinations they visit. Intrepid’s Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America brochures are cur-rently available. For more informa-tion, visit www.intrepidtravel.com.
Signature groups promoSignature Vacations and Karisma
Hotels & Resorts are offering agents
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submit a quote request, visit the new
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agents.signaturevacations.com.
ACV’s Barcelona/AthensAir Canada Vacations is adding
two more cities to its European line-up: Barcelona and Athens. Air Canada Vacations now heads to 11 cities in Europe. There will be 19 hotels and five tours available in Barcelona and 15 hotels and four tours available in Athens, along with other activities, car
rentals and more. Both European cit-ies are major tourist destinations with rich, cultural heritages. They are also both important ports of call for cruise liners. As of June 2010, Air Canada’s new nonstop service to Barcelona from both Montreal and Toronto will operate using Boeing 767s, which have 244 seats, and will include six de-partures weekly; three from Montreal on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and three from Toronto on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Service to Athens will depart from Montreal on Monday, Thursday and Saturday and from Toronto on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Air Canada Vacations will be offering a savings of $100 per passenger on Air & Hotel packages booked by Dec. 31 for travel June 1 to Oct. 31, 2010. For more information, visit aircanadavacations.com/agents.
Avalon’s 4th goes freeAvalon Waterways is offering a ‘Buy
3, Get 1 Free’ promotion on Christmas European River Cruises. The offer, good only for bookings taken by the end of November, means that for ev-ery three passengers travelling togeth-er, the fourth will receive the cruise
Surrffff’’sss UUUUUpppp aaaattttt HHHHHHHHHooooootttttSSSSSSSSSSppppppooooooott HHHHaaaawwwwwwwaaaaiiiVisit www.travelweek.ca/hawaii for the latest Hawaii news, trade events, FAMS, deals, workshops and videos.
Stop in at HotSpot Hawaii to watch the fun and informative Stories of Hawaii videos, brought to you by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Huntington Travel staff visited South Beach, Miami for a long weekend courtesy of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Air Canada and Riu Hotels. Above (from left): back row Tom Wight, Anil Lobo, Bruce Slade (Huntington’s business development manager), front row Ron Kumar, Priya Noyahr, Sujatha Varadaraj, Linda Stilmann (director of sales USA and Canada for Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau), Vina Budhdeo, Ravi Rajaraman, Karen Desouza, Sulita Castro (missing Joe Fernando and Cleo D’Souza).
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free. That fourth client has to pay the airfare, port charges, and, if the airfare is not booked with Avalon, transfers between the airport and the ship. The sale represents a saving of a minimum of $2,117. The offer is valid on just two cruises: Christmastime on the Danube which sets sail Dec. 11 and is a 10-day cruise departing from Prague and tak-ing in Nuremberg, Vienna and a host of medieval towns where the spotlight will be on the Christmas markets. Christmas in the Heart of Germany departs Dec. 15 and is a nine-day cruise from Frankfurt to Prague, again with the Christmas markets as a high-light. This limited-space offer is not applicable to groups; and agents must request the special discount by quot-ing Promo Code 9Buy3. For more information, visit Globus’ website for Canadian travel agents: www.agent lingo.ca.
Israel visitors up 9%Tourism to Israel hit an all-time
high of 333,000 travellers in the month of October, a 9% increase from
the same period last year, which was the previous record-high for travel to Israel. Also, Israel saw a 20% increase in cruise travel with 23,500 tourists arriving on cruise ships, and a 6% in-crease in the number of tourists who visited Israel and stayed for a min-imum of one night compared with October 2008. A total of 1,068,121 travellers passed through Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv this October, a 1.5% increase compared to the same period last year.
New California brochureThe brand new California brochure
from Fun Sun Vacations and Holi-day House is now available and con-tinues to reflect the new look and feel first seen in the 2009-2010 Las Vegas brochure unveiled last month. With a focus on lifestyles, featuring informa-tion on all that can be seen and done in California – from San Francisco, L.A. and San Diego to Anaheim and Palm Springs – this new brochure is designed as a selling tool. It also showcases TravelGenie pricing (as a
reference) on air-inclusive packages to give you and your clients a quick and easy guide to the various destina-tions within California, allowing them to pick out a vacation that best suits their style, taste and budget. For more information and to book a California package, visit www.funsunagent.com or www.holidayhouseagent.ca and click on the TravelGenie logo.
Our 2010-2011 product features: Over 60 specially priced deluxe holidays
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Occidental promotionOccidental Hotels & Resorts has
relaunched its most popular promo-tion yet: Book, Win & Shop. The pro-motion rewards travel agents with a $25 HBC gift certificate per booking and an all-inclusive one-week holiday for the agent with the highest num-ber of bookings. To participate, visit the special contest website (www.win withoccidental.com) and register all bookings. All bookings made from
Nov. 15 through Jan. 15 for hotel stays from Nov. 15 through June 30 are eligible. This promotion is not valid for Occidental properties located in Cuba. Every new booking confirmed with any Canadian tour operator or wholesaler at a participating Occi-dental property will earn a $25 HBC (The Bay, Zellers and Home Outfit-ters) gift certificate. The agent with the highest number of bookings will win a one-week all-inclusive 2-in-1 holiday for two at Occidental Grand Cozu-
mel (3 nights) and Occidental Grand Xcaret (4 nights). In addition to the holiday, the grand prize winner will receive $2,010 in cash to kick off 2010. Occidental Hotels also welcomes back Allegro Puerto Plata in the Domin-ican Republic, formerly Holiday Vil-lage Golden Beach Puerto Plata. For more information on any Occidental Hotels & Resorts property, visit www. occidentalhotels.com. VoX Inter-national represents Occidental Hotels & Resorts in Canada.
peopleTravelport, one of the world’s lead-
ing providers of global distribution systems, has named Julio Bruno as its new vice president, sales for Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Reporting to Travis Christ, president and managing director, The Americas, Bruno is responsible for leading and growing travel agency sales through-out Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada. His appointment takes immediate effect. Bruno has previ-ously held several regional posts with Travelport and its predecessors. This includes vice president, Continental Europe & South America, with respon-sibility for Spain, France, Portugal, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Turkey, Brazil and Chile managing the Cendant Travel Distribution business units Galileo International, Gullivers Travel Associates, Octopus Travel.com and Travelwire. Bruno also has expertise outside the travel industry, having held leadership roles with sev-eral companies in the technology and consumer sectors in sales, marketing and strategy. These include Regus, Energizer and Diageo. Among those reporting to Bruno is Maurita Baker, country manager, Canada.
Travel Masters is announcing the addition of Phyllis Johnson to Travel Masters Prince Albert and Shelley Patrick to Travel Masters Sechelt. Johnson’s career in travel began back in 1984. She joins Travel Masters after a hiatus while she raised her twin sons. She can be reached at (306) 763-8606
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or [email protected]. Patrick joins with over 20 years of experience in the travel industry. She said she is “excited to be working in a storefront environment again after working as a home agent for several years.” She can be reached at (604) 740-0179. Travel Masters is a Canadian travel brand supporting over 180 independent travel agents in British Columbia, Al-berta, Northwest Territories and Sas-katchewan.
Air Canada Vacations has named
the winners of its Half a Million con-
test. The contest was open solely to
travel professionals and gave agents
the opportunity to win one of five prizes of 100,000 Aeroplan Miles by
correctly answering a few easy ques-
tions about the highlights of Air
Canada Vacations’ 2009-2010 season.
Everyone who entered received 100
bonus Aeroplan Miles. Winners were
presented with certificates that were
individually presented by area sales
managers. The five winners are: Karen Bowler from Marlin Travel in Fort St.
John, BC; Karen Frolick from itrav-
el2000 in Mississauga, ON; Giovanni Fugnitto from Voyages JTS Travel in
Montreal; Cheryl Turner from Carl-
son Wagonlit Harvey’s Travel in Hali-
fax and Jennifer Whitechurch from
BelAir Travel in Winnipeg. To regis-
ter for ACV & Me Rewards, the only
agent recognition program in Canada
to offer Aeroplan Miles, agents should
login to aircanadavacations.com/
agents and enter their Aeroplan num-
ber. Travel professionals who are not
yet Aeroplan members can register
for ACV & Me Rewards by contacting
their area sales manager for an Aero-
plan card.
Paul Durrant has been appointed Comtec Group’s Director of Inter-national Development. He will be based out of Comtec’s Toronto office, which it acquired following the deal with Comnet Canada Inc in Decem-ber 2008. He will be responsible for extending Comtec’s growth into new markets internationally, focusing on
Canada, the United States and Aus-tralia, as well as strengthening the group’s presence in North America. Since Comtec acquired Comnet at the end of last year, the travel distri-bution company has focused on mar-ket distribution using the Comtec Travel Gateway with Canadian tour content and promoting the flexibility and extent of Comtec’s tour operator and travel agent product portfolio. Durrant has worked for Comtec for over seven years, maintaining vari-
ous roles from account management to business development in both the UK and U.S. The team in Canada is now seven strong and growing with sales guided by Durrant. Comtec is a new member of ACTA, and will continue to strengthen trade relation-ships throughout the Canadian travel industry, he said. Comtec has now moved into new offices in the Greater Toronto Area: Comtec Group Ltd., Suite 703, Seventh Floor, 80 Tiverton Court, Markham, ON L3R 0G4.
Subscribe now at www.travelweek.caDon’t miss out again!
Travelweek E-blasts from November 12 to November 18
In case you missed out!
Happier Holidays on OahuWarm weather, blue skies and the Christmas spirit abounds! Special Hawaiian holiday concerts, Santa’s arrival via Outrigger Canoe, and craft fairs with unique one-of-a-kind Hawaiian gifts. Christmas is so much merrier on Oahu! Visit agents.visit-oahu.com
Earn a FREE 7-nights trip when you book a group at any El Dorado Spa Resort or Azul Hotel through Signa-ture Vacations!
www.signaturevacations.com for detail information
Winter in Waikiki from $97 USD at Aston Waikiki Joy Hotel
www.AstonHotels.com
Air Canada Vacations New Gap Adventures OffersExperience a new adventure package with Gap Adventures and Air Canada Vacations
Central America, the Middle East and Eu-rope. Visit gap.aircanadavacations.com
How Amadeus met Uniglobe Premiere’s technology needs“...we weren’t happy with Sabre’s technol-ogy and support, Amadeus technology has supported our network and third party systems without a hitch.” said Gordon Millervisit www.amadeus.com/ineed
Get Connected Western CanadaRegister at www.travelwatch.ca/media/transat/transatlandingwest.htm to keep
THE FABULOUS VEGAS NHL AWARDS™ SWEEPSTAKES
and you could see hockey’s hottest stars at ™
Visit www.travelweek.ca/lasvegas
Nov26.indd 25 11/23/09 12:36:19 PM
marketplaceThomas Cook (Sunquest, Holiday House, Fun Sun Vacations, Intair, Network) has an opportunity for a Business Development Manager (1 year maternity leave position) located in Kelowna (or area) to join our Sales Team.
This position will offer the opportunity to work with our key retail partners to develop a keen awareness of the respective client base and their needs in order to assist them in developing their businesses using our Product and Services. This position requires the successful candidate to be self motivated, driven, enthusiastic, and a team player.
In this role, you will be a product expert on all brands for your territory and in doing so you will provide sales growth through training and development in the assigned territory of Interior British Columbia. You must be free to travel as required and have a valid drivers license with a clear drivers abstract. A company car will be provided as part of the employment contract.
If you are innovative, have excellent management, planning and analytical skills with a proven ability to meet sales targets, this may be the right opportunity for you! Please submit your resume and cover letter in confi dence to: [email protected]
Needs Branch supervisor, Senior travel consultants at Oshawa, Bolton and Brampton locations inside the
Walmart supercentre. Also seeking one bilingual(English/French) speaking agent for our Brampton &
Bolton offi ces.
Minimum 6 years experience.
We offer salary, commisions, benefi ts &career advancement
Please send your resume by email to:[email protected]
Fax: 905-794-7300
INDEPENDENT AGENTS! Join our successful team of over 60
professional agents in one of our 3 locations Thornhill, Richmond Hill & Forest HillYou will earn the highest commissions for
packages, cruises, air and insurance. Benefi t from our professional back-up and support.
MAKE MORE MONEY!email your resume to:
[email protected] confi dentiality will be observed
Did YouKnow...
HomeGrown
For rates and information contact
Are you interested in becoming part owner of a successful retail
agency (Travelplus) in a vital small town close to Hamilton?I am thinking of retiring and selling my shares.
Please email me [email protected]
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Nov26.indd 26 11/23/09 12:36:38 PM
If this describes you and you are interested in this position, please submit your resume on www.expediajobs.ca (please use the jobs IDs) before December 4th, 2009.
Launched in 2002 as Expedia Corporate Travel, Egencia has become the 5th largest travel management company in the world. Our success is directly attributed to our commitment to delivering a higher standard of corporate travel service and innovative technology.As a division of Expedia, Inc., the world's No. 1 online travel company with 2008 combined gross bookings of $19.6 billion, Egencia enjoys strong fi nancial backing and a corporate commitment to growth.
Egencia Canada is growing and is looking for motivated and professional individuals who enjoy working in a dynamic environment.
CORPORATE TRAVEL CONSULTANTS (JOB ID # 10560)BILINGUAL - JUNIOR - SENIOR
Based in our Mississauga offi ce and reporting to the Service Delivery Supervisor, this role will:
What you can bring to the team:
position, a minimum of 5 years experience for the Senior and Bi-lingual
SENIOR SALES MANAGER (JOB ID # 11043)
Based in our Mississauga offi ce and reporting to the Managing Director, this role will:
Management and Operations leaders to ensure a cohesive approach to clients.
What you can bring to the team:
various industries,
Please send your resume by fax: 514-876-3699E-mail: [email protected] thank you for your interest, however only those that have been chosen will be contacted for interviews
INSIDE SALES COORDINATOR
Reporting to the Manager, Inside Sales and Planning, the Inside Sales Coordinator will provide administrative support to the Sales team.
We have an exciting position available in our Mississauga office.
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Nov26.indd 27 11/23/09 12:37:02 PM
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